Missing
by GhostGirl3000
Summary: There is a rumour amongst the people of Hyrule that the Triforce was once complete, with no spaces in the middle. Those wise enough would tell you that the hole formed when true darkness became part of their world. The wisest sages however know that one piece was removed and has been missing for centuries. To have the fourth and final Triforce is to have true, ultimate control...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _"Whenever there's a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever…"_

 _– The Happy Mask Salesman_

It was cold. It was always bloody cold. Little warmth could be found in the tight cobbled streets as winter quickly set in. The dusty brown and dusky grey stones that formed the walls of Castle Town were no comfort in this time of year. Then again, they are likely more comforting from the inside of the buildings.

For the young girl perched on the roof of a small cottage on a hill, overlooking the town, this was a luxury she simply couldn't afford. Not without returning home, at least. No, she would much rather sit here and watch the people busy their way through the dark streets. She would sit like this most nights and observe how the mice scurried from shop to shop, franticly trying to buy last minute ingredients and essentials before the maze was closed for the evening. Then, rewards in hand, they would hurry back to their homes before the cold really settled in. This was the easiest time to hunt.

There were two types of people in the main square at this time: parents out to buy quick fixes for their screaming brats at home, and children who had risked staying out past curfew for an extra hour of fun. The former was more sympathetic to a crying ten year old girl all alone in the dark, cold streets, and would often be easy to manipulate and distract. However, some practiced parents are also quite proficient at spotting a lying child, even one as professional as her. The latter was not easily stopped by a strange girl out past curfew and in seemingly no rush to get home. On the other hand, when they did stop, it was often because they were blown away by her blatant rebellion, and would often do as they were told for the opportunity to bask in it a little. The trick was figuring out which of each group was gullible enough to walk willingly into her talons.

Her eyes combed the streets, reading the posture of each figure. It was often hard on the colder nights, as most would huddle over for warmth, burying their faces between their sleeves, their tails between their legs, and their eyes in the space between their chest and the ground. Regardless, she scanned every person until her eyes came to rest on a young boy of a similar age to herself.

Unlike the others, he stood straight and open. Arms by his sides and eyes wide as they took in every inch of his surroundings. His long straw-like locks blew briskly against his face in the harsh winter winds, but he barely seemed to notice. Though he sported a stretched hat, it seemed less suited for the unforgiving weather conditions and more for sheer aesthetic. This boy was new.

The girl's eyes lit up at the prospect of an unsuspecting target with no chance of having been fooled by her charms before. She waited for her moment, allowing the boy to find his way into an empty street. No witnesses, no repercussions, that's what she always told herself. When the boy came to a stop to look in the dark window of a closed sweet shop, she swooped down to strike. Soaring from roof to roof, gradually lowering herself to the street floor, she soon found herself standing behind her mark.

"Excuse me?" She gently chirped, hoping to sound as innocent as possible.

The boy jumped slightly at the sudden noise, and slowly turned to meet her gaze. "Oh," He sighed, "thank Din, I thought you were a criminal or something!" Rubbing the back of his neck, he awkwardly chuckled. "Can I help you?"

 _Help_. That was an important choice of words. Young kids who wanted to make some trouble would never say _help._ This was going to need some modifications. Perhaps the lost soul angle?

"Yes." She smiled, "I'm new here, and I'm not quite sure where I am, do you know where Smith Street is?"

"Uh, no…" her smile grew into a dark grin, she thought not. "Actually, I'm not from here either, I'm just visiting. I don't really know where I am myself."

Perfect. He _was_ new. This could be her lucky day. "Well then," She cooed, taking a step closer, "I guess we're both lost. Maybe if we buy something to eat in that tavern over there, we could use the time to ask people around for directions."

"Can't we just go in and ask?"

"I don't think so," she said with a mock sigh, "I tried earlier, but the barkeep wouldn't even talk to me unless I was a paying customer. The only problem is my parents won't arrive here until tomorrow. I'm supposed to meet them on Smith Street, but no one will tell me where to go." She turned her face away and wiped a fabricated teardrop from her eye. "I don't even have any money until they arrive in the morning." With a sniffle, she turned back to face him, clasping her hands in front of her face as she spoke, "Can you help me?"

The boy looked up to the sky, holding his finger up between the moon and the horizon. Checking the time she supposed. He then stood on his tiptoes, peeking over the high walls behind her to observe the Castle in the near distance. With a sigh, he pulled out a coin purse, and produced two green rupees. "Here." He chirped, practically throwing the money into her hands. "This should get you something at the tavern. I would come with you, but I actually have a lot to get on with, so if you'll excuse me."

Her head shot up from staring at the measly sum in her hands to the quickly escaping target. "Wait!" she called, this was not supposed to go like this.

"Sorry!" he called back. "Can't stop! Hope that's enough to help!" No. This wasn't even enough to last until morning. He was supposed to hand over the coin purse, then she could run. But now he was practically flying from her grasps, and she would have to do this all over again come sunrise. Panic began to set in, and without another second's thought, she ran towards him, tackling him from behind.

With a yelp, he was on the floor, and she had a hold of the coin purse. This was not as well executed as she would have liked. But beggars can't be choosey. She took one more look at the boy as his eyes pleaded with her to rethink the situation. She shrugged, turned on her heals, and began to run towards the town square. With any luck, there would still be a small crowd to slip through and lose him.

Hearing him call from behind her as he clearly chased her down made every step that little bit slicker. As the square came into view, her breath burned her lungs, and her feet ached to the touch, but she tried to keep going. The panic was making this short sprint seem that much longer. Normally her quick thinking and silver tongue kept her from such dashes, she needed more practice for these situations.

The few people caught in conversation seemed like a finish line. This boy was polite, and would likely struggle to push through. It was the perfect opportunity.

Had the girl known that this boy was often running from danger, she would have thought twice before trying to out manoeuvre him on foot. Before she knew it, a pair of arms enveloped her waist and sent her hurtling to the ground. As the hot air was knocked from her chest in what felt like a burst of flames, her hands found their way to her upper body and throat, desperately trying to claw back her breaths. It was in this instance that the boy scooped up his money and threw a disapproving look to her.

It was a simple expression, one that easily conveyed his want to call for the city guard. Any chance of catching her breath back now was quickly fading. Her eyes darted from street to street, quickly attempting to form an escape route. When she noticed the faces of the shocked onlookers however, she had an even better idea.

This big strong boy had chased her through the town, threw her to the ground, and took the money right from her hand. Anyone could get the wrong idea, and that suited her just fine.

Before the boy could even open his mouth, she began to wail, clutching her knee and pointing at him. "Help!" She screamed, "He took my money! He hurt my leg! Why? I thought we were friends!"

With a smirk, she watched as his eyes grew and began frantically nipping from face to face until they finally landed back on her.

They searched her.

It was odd. Rarely did someone look so deeply into her eyes, so deeply into her. She watched his face soften and wondered just what it was he seemed to find. With a smile, he gently place his purse back in her hand.

The smile. It was odd too. Not sharp or rugged like hers. It was deeply, whole heartedly genuine. As was the voice that soon gently floated to her ears. "You need this more than me."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _"_ _Whether a parting be forever or merely a short time… That is up to you."_

 _-The Happy Mask Salesman_

The girl sat quietly for a moment, studying the boy's face, hands and coin purse. Something must have been wrong. Surely this boy was not handing his money over to the thief he had just retrieved it from. It must have been booby-trapped. As she quickly studied the situation, she soon realised that there was no deception in his features. He honestly wanted her to have this money. Merely seconds past before she burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The onlookers shrugged and went about their business, taking this reaction as a sign that the previous events were all part of a silly game or prank.

The boy was puzzled, but politely waited for her hilarity to end. When she finally did stop, at least enough to be comprehensible again, she got to her feet and looked him in the eye. "Seriously? You're just giving it to me now?" She chuckled.

"Uh… Yeah? You went to a great deal of trouble to get it, you must really need this money."

"And you don't?"

He shrugged. "I can get more. I'm rarely short, and I can fish or do odd jobs for food. I guess that must be harder here in the city." She raised an eyebrow at his nonchalant attitude to money, assuming he must have tons somewhere to give it away so freely. "So really." He smiled, pushing the purse back into her hand. "Take it."

Although she had held it for some time, this was the first time she had really felt the weight in the coin purse. There seemed to be a fair amount inside. "You're… You're really sure about this?" She asked, suddenly feeling guilty for this whole event.

"Yes."

She didn't like this. This whole _guilt_ thing. She had never felt _guilt_ in her life. If she needed something, she used what she had to take it. Even if all she had was tricks and lies, why should she feel so bad about using her talents? But for some reason, having it handed to her with a smile and genuine kindness… This caused this guilt.

She had little time to ponder a solution to the problem, however, when a little blue light suddenly fluttered into her vision.

"Hey!" The light huffed to the boy. "I've been looking for you everywhere! What have you been doing?"

"Oh." The boy replied, "Navi, there you are. I was… eh… talking to this girl and-"

"Yes, yes." Navi groaned. "We don't have time for _girls_. We're on a mission of upmost importance! We **must** find Zelda."

A fairy. She had of course heard of fairies, everyone had. But she had never seen one up close before. She was beautiful. From a distance, she could be no more than an oddly-coloured firefly. But when you looked closely, she had long aqua hair covering most of what appeared to be her nude figure. Her pale azure skin seemed to almost glisten in the moonlight, and her iridescent glow was clearly caused by a combination of her long, delicate, transparent wings and her unignorably vibrant cobalt eyes, each shining as brightly as the other.

"Right" He nodded, looking back to her. "I'm sorry, but I'm actually doing something extremely important. I have to go, but maybe I'll see you again!" He smiled once more and turned to leave.

However, once again, she reached out to stop him. "Wait." She said, firmly. "Look, you didn't need to give me this money and… I… I don't like owing people."

"You don't owe-"

"Just shush." She ordered, placing her open palm in front of his face, the other firmly planted on her hip, and a huff _gracing_ her face. "You knew I was lying, and you gave me this anyway. You're obviously doing something really, really important, but you're too damn nice, kid! So, as a way of repaying you, I'll tag along for a little while and make sure that you don't get talked into something stupid." Her tone was harsh, each word almost intending to cut. Her eyes rarely met his face, as if he was not important enough to look at. Before he could argue, she pointed the way to the castle and began walking. Navi shrugged.

"Well, she knows her way around the town. We won't turn away help where it's offered." She instructed. He nodded and jogged up to walk side by side with his sudden new companion.

"I'm not doing this outta the kindness of my heart, by the way." She assured, not even looking at her new associates as she spoke. "I'm just working with you guys until I feel I've paid back my debt."

"Right." He said. "Well, if we are going to be working together, we should be properly introduced." Stopping to hold out his hand, he beamed, "I'm Link. This is Navi."

The girl stopped too, looking at his hand. Then, rolling her eyes and uninterestedly putting her hands behind her head, she scoffed, "Mika." Before walking on ahead again. "So." She spoke while the others caught back up to her. "What is it you guys are doin' anyway?"

"We're on a mission from the Great Deku Tree," Navi started, "We have been warned of a great evil that threatens the land, and it's up to us to stop it! Our first stop is the Castle to warn Princess Zelda. She might be able to help us."

"The great what?" Mika laughed, raising a brow, "Never mind… Wait. If the world needs saving, why would this Great Birch Tree send a little kid?"

"Apparently, it has to be me." Link sighed.

Mika scoffed again. "Alrighty Hero-Boy. Let's go warn this princess."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _"_ _I wonder, if you do the right thing, does it really make everyone happy?"_

 _-Child on the Moon_

The trio approached the strong castle wall. The awkward silence that Mika had insisted on lingered as they observed the narrow gates which were guarded well by two soldiers on either side.

"Well?" Mika grumbled.

"Well…? Well what?" Link replied, genuinely confused as to why she seemed irritated. Again.

She sighed. "Where's the letter?"

"What letter?"

"THE letter? The summons from the royal family? The one you need to get entrance to the castle?!"

Link looked to Navi who shrugged. "We uh… We don't have a summons. The Great Deku Tree told us to come here."

The irritation in Mika's face was likely visible from the Kokiri Village. She breathed, counted to five, and straightened her posture. Through lowered, unimpressed eyelids, her blue eyes finally met with his. "Wait here." She growled.

"Why? Where are you-"

"And be quiet."

She took a deep breath and casually sauntered towards the guards. "Excuse me?" She squeaked. "Excuse me Mr. Guard Man."

The guard peered down at her from under his silver helmet. "Yes child?" He barked. "We don't have time for children's games."

"My friend and I need to get to the castle. May we please pass through?" her voice was softer and higher than usual. Every word was more pronounced than usual and her demeanour seemed, overall, more pleasant. Link noted that this was the way she had spoken to him before she stole his money. How often did she do this?

The guard didn't seem quite as bowled-over as Link had been though, simply grunting and looking away from her. "Sorry, little girl," He sighed, "but no one is to enter the castle grounds without a summons from the royal family."

"But my father is up there. My friend and I are supposed to be helping him with a delivery!" As she spoke, her voice became more hurried and tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "He has a bad back! He- He won't be able to… to… He needs us!" At this point, Mika burst into full blown tears. "P-p-please!"

The guard practically leaped out of his armour, quickly dropping to one knee to look the child in the eye. "Nonononononono!" He cried, "Please don't cry! You must be Talon's daughter!"

Mika sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Y-yes."

"He told us you'd be here! You and your friend can head on up! He's just past the moat!"

"Thank you." She whispered. "Just let me get my friend." She turned back to Link, her face slowly changing back to normal as she approached. "There. We can at least get to the drawbridge."

Link was astounded. "That… that was the most dishonest thing I've ever seen." He told her, still processing what just happened. "You must lie a _lot_."

Mika smirked, "Aww, why thank you!"

"That wasn't a compliment." Navi scolded. "A hero can't be dishonest!"

"I'm not the hero, am I?" Mika sighed, "The forest kid here is. Now are we going or not?"

The group moved on, thanking the guards as they passed.

"You made a little girl cry." The other guard said, shaking his head. "I can't believe you just did that."

"Shut up." He hissed in reply.

Getting closer to the final gate, Link piped up again. "How did you know that that man was up here?"

"Easy." She purred, "I saw him pass earlier. Then I saw a girl pass asking people if her dad had returned from the castle. I recognised her, she lives on the Lonlon ranch. I think I saw her sneak by the guards earlier, so keep an eye out for her. Don't want her blowing our cover."

Sure enough, it wasn't long before they happened upon a young girl with red hair standing in the middle of the path, tapping her foot. As they reached her, she spun to face them. "Oh!" She yelped. "What are you- HEY!" She yelled suddenly, causing the three to jump. "Is that a _fairy?"_ She asked, excitedly, as she pointed at Navi.

"Yes." Link smiled. "This is Navi, I'm Link and this is Mika, we're-"

"Wow! I've never seen one up close before! Is she your fairy? That's cool. Hey! Are you guys going to the castle? My dad went up there earlier. I was told to wait for him, but I bet he fell asleep! If you see him can you wake him? I'm tired so I'm not waiting for him any longer. He's the big guy with the moustache. Anyway, I'm going home. Bye fairy! Bye Fairy-Boy! Bye other person!"

Before they could even grasp the ridiculous amount of syllables that had just been vomited from her mouth, the girl was gone.

Mika sniggered. "Heh. Fairy-boy. That's… manly."


	4. Chapter 4

_"_ _This place will be very important for both of us someday. That's what I feel."  
_ \- _Saria_

As Mika and Link approached the final gate before the castle, Mika informed the others to stay back while she charmed the guards again. However, after five minutes of relentless crying, she stomped back.

"What an ass." She grumbled.

"No luck this time?" Navi smugly smirked. "I thought you were really good at lying?"

"Well, the guy had no heart!" She barked, "Who tells a crying little girl to buzz off?!"

Navi rolled her eyes as Mika crossed her arms. After the most agonisingly awkward two minutes and forty-six seconds of his life, Link final spoke. "Well… I guess we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way!"

Mika huffed, "And which way would that be, genius?"

" _This is stupid!"_ Mika angrily whispered as they stood behind a tall hedge in the palace gardens, awaiting a signal from Navi to move up a little. _"There are guards everywhere!"_

 _"_ _Yes."_ Link sighed, growing slightly tired of her constant nagging. _"But your way didn't work. This will have to do… Jeez. You're worse than Navi."_

 _"_ _Whatever, hero-boy. Just watch the fairy, alright!"_

After a glistening twinkle caught his eye, Link quickly nodded to Mika and darted up to the next point. They continued this way for quite some time, before finding a small, arched passage leading to a private – seemingly unguarded – section of the gardens. Running through and round the corner, the three took a moment to catch their breath before looking around. It was then that Link noticed a small figure, dressed in white and pink robes with a white veil over the head, at the far end of the gardens. He slowly approached while Mika kept a look out for guards. As he stood behind the figure, it suddenly whipped around to reveal a young, startled girl.

"What?!" She yelped, her milky-white hand reaching to cover her mouth. "Who?!... Who are you? How did you get past the guards?" She asked. He voice was smooth as silk, sweet as honey and innocent as a new born baby.

"Painfully…" Mika moaned. Link shot her a look over his shoulder, before turning back to the girl.

"Please excuse her…" Navi glared at Mika from Link's shoulder. "She's… Different."

"Wait. What's that?" The girl gasped as her blue eyes widened. "Is that…a fairy?!" She seemed to think for a moment, her mouth opening and closing as if she were deciding whether or not to ask her next question. "Then are you… are you from the forest?" She finally asked.

Link, still silent, nodded.

The girl's face lit up with new found joy. "Then… Then… you wouldn't happen to have… the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, would you? The green and shining stone?"

Link nodded again, before pulling the stone out of his tunic a little to show her. She gleefully clapped her hands in front of her face.

"Just as I thought!" She cried. Looking over her shoulder, presumingly to assure that no one was listening, the girl took a step forward and continued. "I had a dream. Dark storm clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule. But suddenly, a ray of light shot out of the forest, parted the clouds, and lit up the ground! Then the light became a figure holding that stone, followed closely by a fairy! I knew it had to be a prophecy that someone would come from the forest…" now seemingly talking to herself, the girl trailed off. A moment later, she suddenly jumped.

"I'm sorry!" She called. "I got carried away with my story, and I didn't even introduce myself!" Standing straight, holding her hands in front of her, the girl elegantly said, "I am Zelda. Princess of Hyrule." Holding out on hand, and smiling polite, she then asked, "What is your name?"

Link stood silently. The blood suddenly rushing to – and consuming – his entire face. He opened his mouth, only to find silent air escaping. After a moment, Zelda giggled and asked again, yielding no different results. Mika, clearly frustrated with the young boy's idiocy, stomped to stand next to him.

"This is Link, he's from the forest. The annoying fairy is Navi, she acts like she's a one-hundred year old granny. And I'm Mika, I owe them, so I'm stuck with them."

Link nodded, seemingly thankful for the rescue. Navi however seemed to jump back in shock before flying directly to Mika's face. "That is no way to talk to the Princess!" She shrieked.

Mika shrugged. "Eh. I'm a kid. What do I know?"

Before things between Mika and Navi could get any worse, Zelda chuckled. "Thank you Mika, Navi." Turning back to Link, addressing him personally, she continued, "Link. It is strange. Your names sound somehow… familiar." She reflected for a moment, before smiling again. "Okay Link! I'm going to tell you a secret. The tale of the Sacred Realm. It has been passed down by the Royal Family of Hyrule for generations. Please, tell no one else of this."

As Zelda told of the three Goddesses -Din, Nayru and Farore- Link and Navi listened with great interest, while Mika looked as aloof as ever.

"The three Goddesses hid the Triforce containing the power of the Gods somewhere in Hyrule. It gives the power to grant the wish of whomever holds it. If someone with a righteous heart makes a wish, it will lead Hyrule to a golden age of prosperity. However, if someone with an evil mind has his wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil. That is what has been foretold." She checked once more that they were truly alone and continued, "The ancient sages built the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce from evil. It is the entrance to the Sacred Realm." Zelda held her arms behind her back and a serious expression on her face. "But the entrance is sealed behind a wall called the Door of Time. In order to pass the door, you need the three Spiritual Stones and a great treasure protected by the Royal Family – The Ocarina of Time."

Mika scoffed, "Ooh~ an ocarina! How mystical!"

Zelda gasped. "It's no ordinary ocarina! It is sacred, and holds great power!"

Mika leaned to whisper in Link's ear. "Are you sure this is the Princess? Y'know she could just be some crazy psycho hanging around the gardens."

Navi flew swiftly to deliver a small, but sharp, kick to Mika's forehead. "Just be quite!" She hissed.

Zelda turned to the window behind her. "Listen. I was spying though this window just now." She whispered. "The other part of my dream – the dark clouds – I think that they are warning me of that man in there!"

She stepped back to allow the three to peek inside. Link looked to Mika, who shrugged, before stepping to the window. The girls quickly followed.

Looking inside, the three could just see the edge of the throne room. If they stood on their tip toes, they could see the King on his throne to the right. To the left stretched a long, stone corridor. Every few steps, a silver-clad guard stood silent and watchful – but thankfully not of the window. They were too occupied watching the strange man strutting up the blue carpet that spanned the length of the throne room.

His skin was a vile, sickly green and looked rough to the touch. His hair was flaming red, and stuck out in all directions. He wore black and gold armour, with gold and yellow jewels scarred across it, matching the blinding gold of his irises.

Every step he took was confidant and cocky, as if the King were the one who should be humble. The sick smirk on his face didn't help either.

Once he approached the throne, he took a knee and began speaking with the king. Zelda then spoke up. "Can you see the man with those evil eyes?" She uttered. "That's Ganondorf, the leader of the Gerudo. They hail from the desert far to the west. Though he swears allegiance to my father, I am sure he is not sincere."

"Really?" Mika quietly laughed. "What made you think that?" This earned her another swift kick from Navi. This one was intentionally harder. The loud yelp that shout from Mika's mouth was not so intentional.

This sudden eruption caused Ganondorf's head to spin to the window. Mika, Link and Navi gave a quick shriek before ducking out of sight. "What happened?!" Zelda quietly called, "Did he see you?" The three nodded in sync. Zelda thought for a moment before her face relaxed. "Don't worry. He has no idea what we're planning… yet!"

Link, for the first time, managed to mutter a quick, "What are we planning?" while maintaining a strong eye contact with his shoes.

Zelda smiled. "I told my father about my dream, but he didn't believe me. But I know that that man has nothing but evil intentions. He's after the Triforce! I'm sure he wants to conquer Hyrule… No, the entire world!" Turning to Link, she finally managed lock her eyes with his. "Link… Now we are the only ones who can protect Hyrule! You and your friends must collect the Sacred Stones before he can!" Clasping her hands over her face, she begged, "Please Link! You have to help!"

Link's face darkened to a deeper shade of scarlet before he frantically nodded his head. "Anything for you, Princess!"

"Thank you!" She beamed, "I'm glad you came." Glancing at Mika and Navi, she quickly added, "All of you! I will do my part to protect the Ocarina, you should find the other two stones!"

Grabbing a piece of paper and some charcoal from the belt-bag around her waist, Zelda held the paper against the wall and swiftly began scribbling. "One more thing," she said as she finished up, "Take this letter, I'm sure it will be helpful to you." Link took the note, carefully placed it in his bag and nodded. "Now go! Come back to me when you have found the stones."

With that, Link – followed closely by Navi and kind of closely by Mika – exited the garden.


End file.
